Posted on 06/10/2014 7:47:18 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
And not just Mosul, according to some reports, but the entire northern province of Nineveh has now fallen into al-Qaeda’s control. Parliamentarians from the region want a declaration of emergency and immediate government intervention, but the forces that had been in Mosul have fled — some of which abandoned their uniforms as well as their posts as the ISIS forces swarmed into the city:
Insurgents seized control early Tuesday of most of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, including the provincial government headquarters, offering a powerful demonstration of the mounting threat posed by extremists to Iraq’s teetering stability.
Fighters with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), an al-Qaeda offshoot, overran the entire western bank of the city overnight after Iraqi soldiers and police apparently fled their posts, in some instances discarding their uniforms as they sought to escape the advance of the militants.
Iraq’s speaker of parliament, Osama Nujaifi, said the city that ranks as the capital of northern Iraq is now entirely in insurgent hands.
“When the battle got tough in the city of Mosul, the troops dropped their weapons and abandoned their posts, making it an easy prey for the terrorists,” he told a televised news conference in Baghdad.
CBS reports from Iraqi and Arab media that the first goal of the attack may have been to free more than 2,000 prisoners held by Iraq in Mosul. Their next goal may bring ISIS a lot closer to Baghdad:
Iraqi Parliament speaker Usama al-Nujaifi said the terrorists are now setting their sight on Salahuddin, a province just north of Baghdad.
“They have already seized the Shergat air base in Salahuddin”, Nujaifi said, adding that terrorists laid their hands on weapon depots, heavy equipment and army helicopters from abandoned army bases in Mosul.
Nujaifi appealed to the US ambassador for an American military intervention:
Nujaifi said he spoke to US Ambassador Lukman Faily, requesting U.S. support to repel the terrorists’ attack by virtue of the Joint Cooperation agreement between the two countries. Ambassador Faily promised to promptly convey our request to the U.S. administration, Nujaifi said.
This will be almost impossible to do, and entirely impossible to do quickly. We pulled out all of our forces three years ago when the Obama administration failed to negotiate for a residual force for this exact scenario. In order to land an effective fighting force to defend Baghdad and retake Mosul, we would need to commit tens of thousands of troops and a large amount of materiel in a big hurry. Logistically speaking, that would be a feat worthy of George S. Patton and the Battle of the Bulge in order for us to get to Baghdad before ISIS does, especially with Iraqi security forces collapsing.
Politically speaking, it’s a dead letter. Obama just coughed up five prizes to the Taliban in his haste to get the US out of Afghanistan. Does Iraq really expect Obama to restart the Iraq War all over again after spending his entire national political career speaking out against it? Agreement or no, Obama almost certainly won’t send combat troops into Iraq, even if it’s to fight al-Qaeda, and very certainly not before the midterm elections.
This puts Iraq in a very dangerous position, though, and the entire region. The ISIS threat now stretches from Baghdad to the Mediterranean, engulfing both Syria and Iraq. The Kurds are in danger of being cut off (which is why they’re offering Peshmerga forces to relieve Mosul if possible), and the Iranians will eventually have to intervene if no one else does, on behalf of the Shi’ites in the eastern part of Iraq. This is the reason why it made sense to keep American forces in Iraq as a back-up to Iraqi security forces, but that option is all but dead now. Unless Iraq finds some deep well of nationalistic strength and repels ISIS on its own, the only democratic Arab republic may be very short-lived indeed.
I can't imagine by what stretch anyone can say Assad is the bad guy. He's a strong, heavy handed leader who does not support US and our allies oil pipeline priorities.
Could you please answer a question for me that I have yet to have answered? I have looked online, and I have asked it many times here.
What really is the difference between Shia and Sunni?
I seem to recall that they split a long time ago because of some disagreement over the right of a descendant of mo-ham-head’s to assume his authority. But how do their differences affect how they live their lives?
I remember those images well. Sad to see our military dumped on once again.
I remember those images well. Sad to see our military dumped on once again.
Those are interesting stats. and ...and I wonder how many Americans really know about them?
I think if Americans really knew the truth about our current ‘energy indepence’ and given the choice to open up to fracking, keystone, Alaska and being able to walk-away from middle east energy to literally save lives...would the left do it? Would the left’s own NO BLOOD FOR OIL crowd finally put down their own protests for 16% oil from our own sources?
I know conservatives would do it in a heartbeat. If the next President said we would no longer import oil from the middle east effective immediately, but Americans would need to conserve gas/oil for the next 3-5 years while our own resources are brought fully online...would Americans do it? Are we middle east war tired enough to cut our own consumption 10-16%?
Are we fed up enough with middle east war on the left to finally move forward with fulfilling that 16% current shortfall? Are enough lives, enough environmental damages done in the middle east far outweigh yet our own environmental regulations here at home?
16% away from economic freedom, oil freedom, and returning America to strength...
It looks like Obama’s policies are finally paying off for al Qaeda. Once they gain control of the northern oil fields, their financial problems should disappear.
Obama: “I just read about this in the newspaper. And this makes me angry. Really, really angry.
Thank you.”
There is the image that is haunting me after watching the Taliban video of the Bergdahl swap. The helicopter on the roof.
Yes, and if this Iraq situation continues to deteriorate a whole lot of raw nerves will be touched off among vets.
People who claim to come in peace and leave nations to the jaws of their enemies are no friends of this land either.. if any lesson is to be learned from Iraq.
And you still got it... amazing...
as much as some people really love old harry truman, that precedent was started by him when he fired Gen MacArthur and wouldn’t let have victory over the commies in korea.
Just damn. I spent a year at the fighter base (Q-West) 40 miles south of Mosul. On the occasional clearer night the glow of the city could be seen. It was so impressive that the US was there, with all this infrastructure. We worked hard, bought Turkish trinkets and ate Burger King. And now it’s all just a brief footnote to the local history - back to desperation and chaos.
Apparently now ISIS is completely self-sufficient financially now that they control the oilfields of Eastern Syria. That’s not even including the generous funding they get from Gulf Islamists.
That, combined with being a battle-hardened organization with plenty of experience recruiting and in smuggling weapons, is apparently what’s fueling this surge. They are, after all, the same guys we fought in Iraq for years.
?
In the beginning, the Sunni/Shia split happened because the Shia believed that only descendants of Mohammed could become Caliph. However, Abu Bakr (companion of Mo) became Caliph instead.
Later, the schism became permanent when Hussein (Mo’s grandson) was treacherously killed at Karbalah along with his entire family by another Sunni caliph.
The doctrinal differences stem from Shia distrust of hadith (religious doctrine) coming from Abu Bakr and his pals/successors.
I’ve always thought that the general Shia avoidance of suicide bombings and terror attacks is because they themselves are the usual targets of this kind of warfare by the Sunnis, being considered apostates by some Sunnis.
Excellent points. We can’t be alone in this simple fact?
in 633 when Mohammad died, one faction (Sunni) wanted the successor elected. He was ABU AKBAR. The other wanted ALI a cousin (BLOOD LINE) and son in law (Shiite). After all this time they still kill each other daily over it. The consider the other equal to any infidel. The radical element (50%) of the Sunni are of the Wahhabi belief and believe in killing all non believers.( including Shia). They are the focused enemy .
Do not despair, the Dear Leader said All Qaeda is decimated.
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